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Agencies prepare for inauguration onslaught

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The moving parts on Inauguration Day are dizzying, but no matter how many people flock to the city, Washington will be prepared, the Secret Service said Thursday.

Malcolm D. Wiley Sr., the Secret Service special agent chairing the public affairs subcommittee for the inauguration, told reporters that they aren't really anticipating 4 million visitors to witness the historic inauguration. But if that many people show up, they'll be ready.

Agencies across the city and the nation have been involved in the preparations, from the D.C. Department of Transportation to the military. The Metropolitan Police Department alone is bringing in 96 different agencies to help provide security by adding 4,000 additional police officers on city streets and the Park Police is getting support from 25 different agencies.

Although specific details are under wraps, everyone visiting the Mall, the parade route and the Capitol will go through some type of security. Evacuation plans and mass communication systems have not been finalized but are under discussion. Buildings along the parade route will have restricted access and streets will be closed but the size of the perimeter has yet to be finalized, Wiley said.

Officials are already saying that Metro will not be able to handle the load. The best case scenario is that one million people will be able to ride the rail line with 120,000 riding every hour after it opens. But officials admitted that it was unlikely that there would be a line 120,000 people strong at 4 a.m.

Lisa Farbstein, the spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, said anyone coming from within two miles of the Mall should plan on walking and recommended that people buy their Metro cards in advance. She said people could sign up for inauguration e-alerts at metroopensdoors.com, which will send out information before and on the day of the event.

The D.C. Department of Transportation is anticipating as many as 10,000 buses and is still figuring out the logistical nightmare of where to park them.

Additional details will be released in the coming weeks ahead.

But most of all, Kevin Griffis, the spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said people need to remember it is an occasion of celebration: “This isn’t so many people gathered together to get a root canal.”